Author: MIL-OSI Publisher

Source: University of Auckland (UoA)

Monday 28 September 2026

For a person with dementia, patterned carpet can look like a floor full of holes – a space that’s terrifying to cross, says University of Auckland Professor Ngaire Kerse.

A GP and co-director of the University’s Centre for Co-Created Ageing Research, Kerse is leading a new dementia-friendly design project. It aims to make homes and aged-care facilities feel safer for people with dementia.

An umbrella term for memory and thinking decline from degenerative brain conditions, dementia causes changes to spatial perception, says Kerse.

“With dementia, there's degradation along all the pathways in the brain associated with processing visual information.

“That reduces their ability to judge depths and distances, and to recognise objects,” says Kerse, who is the Joyce Cook Chair in Ageing Well.

It’s reasonably common for people with dementia to perceive dark doormats on light coloured flooring as holes in the floor, she says.

“With patterned carpets, the dark parts might appear to be a series of holes, so rather than seeing a flat floor that you can confidently walk across, they would see it as hazardous.”

She says plain coloured flooring and mats in similar shades make walking through a house easier for people with dementia.

Kerse has worked with Alzheimer’s New Zealand, The Village Architect, aged-care professionals, and people with dementia to design two new three-hour courses on dementia-friendly design.

The courses are for people with dementia, their whānau, caregivers, aged-care workers in the community and in residential care, and people involved in building and design who want to learn how to create housing that meets the needs of people with dementia.

The first course, Introduction to Dementia Design Aotearoa, includes a checklist to help identify potential problems that people with dementia might face in a home or aged care facility.

The second course, Dementia Design Aotearoa: Design Essentials, has practical information about each room and space in the home or aged-care facility.

Simple, affordable alterations can make navigating at home easier for people with dementia, says Kerse.

“Small changes can make a huge difference, helping to maintain their dignity and allowing them to stay at home longer.”

Dementia sufferers often lose the ability to differentiate between similar colours and tones, she says.

“Painting walls a contrasting colour to flooring can help highlight where to walk and where a room ends.

“There should be a strong contrast between the chair and the floor, because then the chair will be instantly visible and easy to sit in.”

Putting a picture of a toilet on the toilet door and installing a coloured toilet seat that contrasts with the floor and walls can help people with dementia know where to go when nature calls, she says.

When it comes to fittings and appliances, old-fashioned knobs can be less confusing than new touch technologies.

“Black taps are easier to see in a white bathroom than silver taps.

“If light switches are a contrasting colour to the walls or are framed by a contrasting colour, they’re easier to find.”

Falls are more common in people with dementia, who lose the ability to spot objects at low levels, says Kerse.

“It’s recommended to clear anything from the knee down that’s sticking out, so people don’t trip over so much.”

Mirrors are another common source of distress for people with dementia, she says.

“If their self-image is of a younger person and they suddenly see an older person reflected back at them, they can get quite agitated, thinking there are always strange people in the house.”

Keisha Rawiri, an architectural designer and researcher at the Centre for Co-Created Ageing Research, has helped develop kaupapa Māori design principles that address the needs of people with mate wareware (dementia).

These principles include creating homes and care facilities to enable wairuatanga (spirituality), whanaungatanga (relationships), māramatanga (understanding), manaakitanga (care and hospitality), mauri ora o te whare (living essence of the building) and mauri ora o te whenua (the life force of the land).

“It’s important to consider how well homes in Aotearoa connect older people to the natural environment, because that connection helps them feel calmer and enjoy life more,” says Rawiri.

“People with mate wareware can lose the concept of time, so being able to observe natural rhythms, like changes of the light each day and different weather and seasons, can help them to orientate themselves in time.”

More information about the new short courses on dementia friendly design is available here. Two in-depth courses are also available.

Source: Porirua City Council

The new Cannons Creek Library opened today, with the community getting their first look at the modern space that blends functionality with culture and sustainable elements.

The library was blessed at dawn on Friday morning by Ngāti Toa kaumatua Dr Taku Parai, and gifted its name Ngā Kete Mātauranga – which means baskets of knowledge.

Ngā Kete Mātauranga opened its doors to the public today, with a day of free activities, performances, storytelling, wā takaro / play trailer, and kai. The celebrations included storytelling in the new children’s area with Inangaro Vakaafi and Moira Wairama, sharing myths from Aotearoa and the Pacific.

The previous, and second, Cannons Creek Library was established in a former draper’s shop on Warspite Ave in 1985 (the first was on Cannons Creek Park from 1969 to 1985) but a report last year noted that although it was a popular community space, it had limited natural light and heating, inadequate staff areas and not enough seating or study space.

The new Ngā Kete Mātauranga is located on Bedford Reserve, next to Cannons Creek Pool. It was constructed offsite and moved onto its new home in July. It has plenty of space for the community to utilise and because it is modular, can be adjusted inside depending on future needs for staff and users.

While it has a new building air about it, a closer look reveals a number of sustainable features from elsewhere, including pieces of Porirua’s oldest homestead.

Porirua Libraries manager Brian Anderson says a number of features give it a modern look and feel, along with sustainable elements that make it even more pleasing for Council budgets.

“One of the coolest aspects is the native timber we’ve recycled,” Brian says.

“Rimu and matai have been salvaged from Gear Homestead, including the enclosed balcony that was removed from the homestead in the 1990s. While much of the balcony was rotten, the usable parts were put in storage.

“It’s a really nice touch having a bit of Porirua’s history in a brand new building – something that will last even more generations than Gear Homestead has been standing.

“Libraries are all about reusing and recirculating, so it is fitting to have done that with the building as well.”

Other sustainable features of the new Cannons Creek Library include:

• A reception desk made partially from recycled linoleum flooring
• A water tank that captures stormwater to be used for flushing the toilets
• Wall hangings made from recycled products
• The carpet, 100 per cent of which has been recycled and is easy to clean
• High-energy and LED lighting for efficiency
• Double-glazing around all of the building, meaning less heating required inside.

Brian says in his 37 years working in in libraries in Porirua, this is only the second newly built library, after Whitby’s in the late 1980s – other libraries in the city have had renovations or upgrades.

“It is very special, a once in a career moment for me.”

Another special aspect of Ngā Kete Mātauranga are the design elements that feature imagery significant to mana whenua Ngāti Toa and the Porirua east location.

These include the tuna (eels) that were plentiful in the nearby waterways, and ruru.

Porirua Mayor Anita Baker says she’s delighted that the eastern suburbs of Porirua now have a library that is worthy of them.

“Cannons Creek library has always been really popular with local tamariki and schools so it’s wonderful to be able to open this lovely new space for them to use and enjoy. There’s so much more room, both inside and outside, and with play equipment coming soon to the reserve the whole area will be pretty special.”

Funding for the new library comes from existing budgets in Council’s 2024-34 Long-term Plan.

Source: Earlypay

Australian small to medium enterprises (SMEs) need to find ways to produce more from the people, equipment and resources they already have as rising costs and growing resistance to price increases put further pressure on margins, according to Earlypay CEO James Beeson.

Mr. Beeson said productivity was too often discussed as an abstract economic problem when, for an individual business, the principle was relatively simple.

“When we hear about Australia's productivity problem, we're generally talking about labour productivity – how much economic output we generate for every hour worked,” Mr. Beeson said.

“For an SME, it's essentially the same question: how can I get more output from every hour my people work?

“Rather than asking people to work longer or harder, it's about giving them better equipment, better technology, better skills and better processes so they can produce more value from the same hour of work.”

Latest ABS figures show labour productivity was flat in the June quarter and fell 0.2 per cent over the year, while the Reserve Bank's August business liaison found increasing customer price sensitivity was limiting businesses' ability to pass higher costs on.

“SMEs can't remain reliant on increasing their prices every time their cost base goes up,” Mr. Beeson said.

“At some point customers stop accepting those increases. Businesses then have to look at what they can do differently to protect margins and get more from the resources they already have.”

Mr. Beeson said the opportunity would look different across industries.

“For a manufacturer, it might be machinery that allows an employee to produce more. For a transport company, it could be technology that improves scheduling and vehicle utilisation. For a professional services business, it could be using AI to remove hours of repetitive administration.

“The question SME owners should be asking is: what are my people spending time doing today that better equipment, technology, skills or processes could do more efficiently?”

Founder of commercial finance specialist Nexus Advisory, Stephen Mitchell, said cash pressures were pushing some larger businesses to seek finance after previously relying on their own reserves to cover the gap between spending money and receiving payment.

“We're seeing more and more businesses with a lot less cash on the balance sheet,” Mr. Mitchell said.

He said transport and construction businesses were particularly exposed where agreed contract prices prevented them from recovering increases in operating costs.

“Yet as tough as the economy is, there are businesses growing,” Mr. Mitchell said.

He said businesses performing well understood their costs and had avoided taking on too much debt. Investment was continuing, with more spending directed towards efficiency rather than expansion, including automation, AI and improvements to technology systems.

Mr. Beeson said Australia needed to encourage SMEs to make productivity-enhancing investments.

“The productivity dividend comes after the investment,” he said.

“Someone has to buy the machine, implement the technology or train the employee before the additional output arrives.

“The current $20,000 instant asset write-off doesn't go very far when you're talking about serious plant, machinery or automation. The government should look at stronger incentives that encourage SMEs to bring forward investments that increase their productive capacity.

“Investment in equipment also needs to go hand-in-hand with skills. Better equipment in the hands of better-trained people is where the real productivity gain comes from.”

Mr. Beeson said businesses also needed to consider how productivity investments would affect cash flow before committing capital.

“A business might invest in new machinery, technology, AI or training today, but it could take months or years before the full financial benefit flows through,” he said.

“In the meantime, the business still has to pay wages, suppliers and its other operating costs. That's why working capital needs to be part of the productivity conversation from the beginning.”

Mr. Mitchell said businesses needed to match the way an investment was funded to both the expense itself and the timing of their income. “If there is a cash flow need in a business, it's important to get the finance that is going to match that cash flow need,” he said.

This could mean trade finance to pay suppliers, invoice finance to cover lengthy customer payment terms, or a term loan for technology investment.

According to Mr. Mitchell, some businesses were accessing unsuitable loans, adding pressure to already stretched finances.

He said funding arrangements should be reviewed over time as a business's needs and financial position changed.

Mr. Beeson said the objective should be to make productivity investments without weakening the underlying business.

“A good investment can still create cash flow pressure if it is funded the wrong way,” he said.

“Businesses need to understand what the investment will cost, when the productivity benefits are expected to arrive and how much working capital they will need in the meantime.

“If we can help thousands of Australian SMEs invest in better equipment, better technology and better-skilled people, that's how we start improving productivity across the broader economy.”

Earlypay Limited (ASX: EPY) is an Australian-listed lender which delivers flexible working capital finance solutions Australian businesses can rely on.

Earlypay has supported thousands of Australian SMEs for more than 25 years through solutions such as invoice finance and equipment finance – helping them improve cash flow, unlock capital and access a broader range of assets with confidence

Source: New Zealand Chinese Language Week Trust

Saturday September 26 was International Dumpling Day, and it marks the three-week-long exploration of the Great New Zealand Dumpling Trail across the country. The trail highlights great restaurants offering delicious dumpling meals, and offers people the chance to rate their favourites and win prizes while doing so. It stretches from Rising Sun Dumplings and Chopsticks101 in Dunedin to No. 8 in Whangarei.

You’ve checked out toasties, and burgers, and now, dumplings get their time in the spotlight!

Great New Zealand Dumpling Trail organiser Julia English says the Great NZ Dumpling Trail 2026 is a nationwide celebration of dumplings, culture, and community, powered by New Zealand Chinese Language Week.

She encourages people from 26 September to 17 October 2026 to get out and explore a hand-picked selection of dumpling destinations across Aotearoa, discover new local favourites, and celebrate the rich traditions behind one of the world's most loved foods.

“To take part, simply visit a participating venue, scan the campaign QR code, and rate your dumpling experience. Every review submitted earns you an entry into the prize draw, and the more participating venues you review, the more chances you have to win.

“We'll be giving away four $100 food vouchers, so start exploring, support local hospitality, and discover some of New Zealand's best dumplings along the way.”

Details of participating restaurants and their locations are available on: www.greatnzdumplingtrail.com

Taste. Explore. Review. Win.

To enter, you need to visit one of the participating restaurants between 26 September 2026 and 17 October 2026, scan the official campaign QR code, and complete the review form.

Each valid review counts as one entry. Only one review per meal purchase can be submitted.

Four participants with the highest number of valid reviews submitted between 26 September 2026 and 17 October 2026 will each win a $100 food voucher.

The Great New Zealand Dumpling Trail is part of the work done by the New Zealand Chinese Language Week Trust to promote Chinese language within the community.

The New Zealand Chinese Language Week Trust is a private charitable trust formed in 2014 by a group of academics and business people who wanted to encourage the learning of Chinese language. They facilitate New Zealand Chinese Language Week each year – this was June 29 to July 5 this year, and will be on June 13 to June 19 next year.

Source: Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi

• 49% would support delaying the return to surplus by one year to restore pay equity
• 46% would support delaying the net debt target by two years
• A majority of Labour, Greens and Opportunity voters support delays
• National voters split 39% for and 39% against delaying surplus; only ACT voters strongly opposed

New Zealanders' support for restoring pay equity extends to a willingness to see governments adjust their fiscal targets, if necessary, to make provision for the cost of doing so, a new Talbot Mills poll commissioned by the PSA shows.

The National-ACT-New Zealand First coalition estimates that it had saved $12.8 billion over four years through its decision in May last year to scrap pay equity claims under urgency, without warning and without consultation. Coalition parties have suggested that it would be unaffordable for a future Government to settle these claims and the legislative framework that supported it.

“We reject the suggestion that fiscal targets are more important than paying women workers what it’s proven they are worth and this poll shows New Zealanders agree,” said Fleur Fitzsimons, National Secretary for the Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi.

“We've previously identified savings that could bring the net fiscal cost down well below previous fiscal estimates.- Plus, the next Government can have revenue measures or use some of its Budget operating allowances to contribute to the cost.”

Even on the most conservative assumptions, where the full gross cost of restoring pay equity flows through the Government accounts, the impact of this would be:

• to delay the operating balance (as measured by OBEGALx) coming back in surplus by just one year, from 2028/29 to 2029/30; and
• to push out the date for achieving the target of bringing net core Crown debt down to 40 percent of GDP ('the 40 percent target') by a modest two years from 2032 to 2034.

“These are fiscal adjustments that New Zealand can easily afford,” said Council of Trade Unions National Secretary Melissa Ansell-Bridges.

“What's more, this polling shows that New Zealanders strongly support the Government making these choices, if needed to restore pay equity.”

Far more New Zealanders would be prepared to delay the Government's return to surplus by a year to restore pay equity than oppose it, 49 percent to 28 percent.

Support for delaying the 40 percent debt target by two years also leads voter sentiment, 46 percent to 29 percent.

This poll adds to growing public pressure on parties contesting the election to make a tangible commitment to restore pay equity (poll details below and attached).

“Voters are ahead of the politicians,” said Ansell-Bridges. “The next Government must right the wrongs of the past and deliver pay equity for the 180,000 predominantly female workers whose pay rise was sacrificed to make the Budget numbers work.

“New Zealanders understand that paying people their true worth for the jobs they do matters, and that it should come ahead of the fiscal targets. They are prepared to wait a little longer for a surplus to see it done.”

The poll shows it's not just voters on the left. National voters are evenly split on delaying the surplus, and NZ First voters are more likely to back a delay than oppose it. Only ACT voters are clearly opposed.

Women are more likely to support delaying the surplus for pay equity (53 percent) than men (45 percent). On the debt target, support leads opposition in every age group, from 51 percent to 24 percent among 18-29 year olds to 42 percent to 32 percent among those aged 60 and over.

“The evidence for restoring pay equity is strong just like the public support,” said Fleur Fitzsimons.

“PSA analysis shows reinstating it would grow the economy by $13.5 billion over four years, create around 13,000 jobs, and lift an estimated 11,000 children out of poverty.

“The Government has defended scrapping pay equity on fiscal cost grounds. This poll shows many voters are willing to accept a short delay in the current fiscal targets to get it back.”

Earlier polling points the same way. A PSA-CTU Horizon Research poll in September last year found 42 percent opposed the pay equity changes, and a RNZ Reid Research poll in June last year found 43 percent against the overhaul.

“Restoring pay equity is the right thing to do, morally, fiscally and economically. The care and support settlement is ready to implement and should be resolved in the first 100 days,” said Fitzsimons.

Poll details

Talbot Mills Research nationwide online survey commissioned by the PSA. Sample size 1894, adults aged 18 and over. Maximum sampling error ±2.3% at the 95% confidence level. Fieldwork was conducted between 10 and 17 September 2026. Full survey report attached.

Questions

For the last few years, the Government has been spending more than it has been bringing in. This is currently expected to flip – called returning to surplus – in 2029. Would you support delaying the return to surplus by one year, until 2030, in order to restore pay equity for New Zealand women?

• Yes – 49%
• No – 28%
• Unsure – 23%

The current Government has a goal of getting net Government debt below 40% of New Zealand's gross domestic product. Current forecasts suggest that this goal might be achieved in 2032. Would you support delaying the achievement of the 40% target by two years, until 2034, in order to restore pay equity for New Zealand women?

• Yes – 46%
• No – 29%
• Unsure – 25%

Previous PSA analysis on fiscal and economic benefits of pay equity

9 September Restoring pay equity would boost income of 91,000 families by $300/week – PSA analysis

23 August Govt’s axing of pay equity cost jobs & GDP growth – PSA analysis

Analysis of the fiscal impact of restoring pay equity out of existing revenue (and with no offsetting savings taken into account) was performed using Treasury's Budget 2026 fiscal strategy model (FSM).

The Public Service Association Te Pūkenga Here Tikanga Mahi is Aotearoa New Zealand's largest trade union, representing and supporting more than 95,000 workers across central government, state-owned enterprises, local councils, health boards and community groups.

Source: Save the Children New Zealand

Protection measures for girls need to be intensified across flood-affected areas of Nepal amid growing concerns over trafficking, violence, exploitation and child marriage one month after the country's devastating floods, Save the Children said.

Uncertainty over permanent housing and livelihoods is putting girls at risk one month after the flash flood that killed at least 1,400 people with about 5,700 still missing. [1].

About 1,000 people remain in communal holding centres, where girls have reported concerns about privacy and safety due to the movement of unfamiliar people through shared spaces. Some girls are living in tents in camps on the periphery of towns with inadequate lighting at night, creating a safety risk. Other families have moved into rented rooms, often far away from their communities.

Save the Children is working alongside local authorities and partners to strengthen protection measures in displacement sites, including increased monitoring and surveillance, awareness raising on gender-based violence and child marriage, and expanding access to psychosocial support and case management services for children and their families.

The organisation is also supporting police at checkpoints to identify and respond to signs of trafficking and exploitation affecting children, adolescents and women, helping ensure those at risk are connected to social protection services and specialist support.

Weakened community protection due to displacement as well as the loss of education, livelihoods and incomes is compounding the risks for girls in Nepal where more than a third of girls are married as children, according to the 2021 census. [2].

Girls married as children are more likely to leave school, experience early pregnancy, face restrictions on their decision-making, and experience multiple forms of gender-based violence throughout their lives.

Trafficking is also seen as a risk in Nepal. More than 11,500 women and girls were reported missing to police between 2024 and 2025, with nearly one in four remaining untraced, according to the National Human Rights Commission. Information from trafficking survivors indicates that 41% were trafficked for prostitution and more than a third – 37% – were girls. [3].

Tara Chettry, Country Director, Save the Children in Nepal, said:

“One month on, thousands of children are living with the impacts of that torrential wall of water and debris. The waters have gone, but fear and uncertainty remain.

“Girls are telling us they do not feel safe at displacement sites, while many children are grieving the loss of parents and loved ones. Others remain out of school, and every day out of class is a protection risk.

“Adolescent girls are often among the first to lose access to education and among the last to regain it. Protecting their rights, safety and opportunities must remain central to the response and recovery.

“These risks do not emerge from the disaster alone. They are shaped by existing gender inequalities, unequal access to resources and decision-making, and social norms that often place a disproportionate burden on girls and women during crises.”

Girls who assume increased caregiving responsibilities often face pressure to prioritise unpaid care work over education and extended periods out of school reduce the likelihood of re-enrolment. Combined with displacement and loss of income, this can increase risks of child marriage, exploitation and other forms of gender-based violence.

Sukmaya-, 18, volunteers with Save the Children and leads play-based activities for children alongside psychosocial counsellors who are supporting her and others who have been displaced. Sukmaya-'s mother and sisters were killed when the floods tore through her village.

Sukmaya- said: “If school reopened, we could study again and meet our friends. Being back in school would help us move forward.”

Save the Children has so far reached more than 7,500 people, including about 2,300 children, with emergency assistance and support.

Save the Children has worked in Nepal since 1976. The organisation runs programmes spanning child protection, child rights governance, education, climate change, gender equality, health and nutrition and child poverty.

New Zealanders wanting to donate to Save the Children's emergency response in Nepal can do so here.

Photos of the destruction and response

About Save the Children NZ

Save the Children works in 100 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.

Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.

Captions

• CH11661100_Buildings surrounded by mud and debris after flash floods swept through the area.JPG – Buildings surrounded by mud and debris after flash floods swept through the area.
• CH11661088_Save the Children staff prepare to distribute emergency supplies for flood-affected families in Nepal.jpg – Save the Children staff prepare to distribute emergency supplies for flood-affected families in Nepal.
• CH262512_A child colours a drawing of a strawberry at a Child Friendly Space in Nuwakot (1).jpg – A child colours a drawing of a strawberry at a Child Friendly Space in Nuwakot.

Source: Greenpeace Aotearoa

Greenpeace activists are occupying a New Zealand state-owned research vessel in Wellington this morning. The Tangaroa has just finished deep sea mineral exploration work for an American company, Glomar, that is vying to start mining in the Pacific as soon as 2027.

An activist dressed as US President Donald Trump, flew an American flag from the Earth Sciences (formerly NIWA) vessel. Another activist held a banner reading “Don’t Mine the Moana”.

The protest highlights the role New Zealand is playing in Trump’s attempts to bypass international law and expedite deep sea mining in the Pacific, despite international resistance to the practice starting. Activists sent a clear message on the protest: New Zealand must not be complicit in Trump's minerals grab. Greenpeace Aotearoa campaigner Juressa Lee says:

“It’s disturbing to see this vessel, which is owned by our government, being used to further American imperialism in the Pacific where resistance to this new form of extraction is strong,” says Lee.

“If deep sea mining is allowed to go ahead it will strip the seafloor, risking irreversible damage to the ocean we all rely on, to supply minerals for Trump’s war machine. Pacific Peoples are at the frontline of this fight, and deep sea mining puts their way of life and cultural heritage at risk. It must not be allowed to start.

“While the rest of the world is still debating if deep sea mining should even be allowed to go ahead, Trump has gone rogue. He’s decided that the US will just start mining regardless of international laws, and the rights and interests of the communities who rely on the ocean. New Zealand must not be complicit in this.”

The Tangaroa has just returned from the Clarion-Clipperton Zone in the international waters of the Pacific, where it surveyed deep sea minerals. The research was carried out on behalf of UK Seabed Resources Ltd (UKSR), a wholly-owned subsidiary of US corporate entity Glomar Minerals, Inc., that has made clear its intentions to begin commercial exploitation of the seafloor in 2027.

Glomar has said that the mineral nodule sampling done onboard the Tangaroa will feed into securing critical mineral supply chains for the US. In April 2025, Trump issued an Executive Order to fast-track commercial deep sea mining in US and international waters. Earlier this year the US government launched Project Vault, an initiative to secure a global supply chain and stockpile a reserve of minerals for military and industrial purposes.

The expedition comes as the US administration is preparing to issue unilateral commercial permits for seafloor minerals. It’s a move that bypasses the International Seabed Authority (ISA) where UN member states are negotiating the regulations that will guide deep sea mining.

Chris Williams, Glomar CEO, has publicly stated that seabed mining “is likely to proceed regardless” of international negotiations. Now, using data gathered by the Tangaroa, Glomar seems set to apply for a US commercial exploitation permit. The Pacific region overwhelmingly rejects deep sea mining, with 46 countries worldwide including New Zealand supporting an international moratorium.

Says Lee: “The New Zealand Government seems to be aligning with Trump’s imperialist extractive agenda, instead of standing with our Pacific neighbours. From negotiating a minerals deal so Trump can stockpile NZ minerals for weapons, to co-funding a port in the Cook Islands with the US, to sending our state-owned assets to work for a rogue industry working to exploit the last wilderness on the planet, our government is cozying up to this rogue and destructive regime.

“We had to call it out and call it what it is: NZ being a US puppet.”

The Tangaroa is no stranger to protest. In 2015 Greenpeace activists occupied the vessel in protest of its use by the international oil industry to survey the waters of Aotearoa for deep sea oil drilling. “We have a long history of taking action when our government has chosen to back international polluters over our oceans. Fair warning to them, we will not stand by while they make us complicit in US imperialism and this new wave of colonial extraction”, says Lee.

Over 100,000 New Zealanders have signed an open letter to Winston Peters calling for him to support a global ban on deep sea mining, joining millions around the world who oppose it. In 2022 the Government announced support for a conditional global moratorium on deep sea mining.

Photos and video